1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an aligning and bundling apparatus for coordinating a certain amount of elongated pieces into a bundle.
2. Description of the prior art
Klusmier et al in U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,465 issued Sept. 24, 1974 discloses an assembly and transfer apparatus for elongated elements, for example bars and the like, produced by a rolling mill. A pair of spaced opposite guide surfaces define an assembly and transfer zone. Carrier members protrude into and are movable along the length of the zone. The elongated elements are fed laterally into the zone through an inlet at an upper location. The elements are initially retained adjacent to the inlet and against the carrier members and are assembled at the upper end of the zone. The carrier members are moved downwardly along the length of the zone for assembling and for carrying the assembled elements to a lower second location. The elements are received at the second location and are then carried laterally to a third location, where they are strapped to a dense bundle, and then to a fourth location for delivering the bundles. This apparatus is constructed to avoid that the individual elements become cocked at an angle relative to each other (commonly referred to as jackstrawing or from twisting about the longitudinal axis of the assembly (commonly referred to as "cabling").
Where a jackstrawing and/or cabling condition exists, the cocked or twisted elements may be bent or distorted in the bundling, typing or strapping operation. Cabled elements are difficult to extract from a bundle and may be difficult to use in certain operations.
The above apparatus may be suitable for the assembly, typing and transfer of bars and the like. However, the apparatus is much too expensive and cumbersone for the bundling of straight wire pieces such as, for example, welding electrode core wires. The conventional apparatus is also not capable to assure in the case of small diameters of wire that no jackstrawing or cabling occurs. In order to avoid jackstrawing and cabling for small diameter wires additional equipment would be necessary, which would have to assure an exact parallel feeding of the wire pieces to the pivoted levers.